Prepare for the Worst, Hope for the Best

Today we leave Naples to begin our trip to Amicalola Falls State Park. From there, we'll hike the access trail to Springer Mountain -- the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. It is a 12 hour drive to Amicalola Falls so we'll be splitting the drive into 2 days.

Apparently this stuff can withstand a full-blown
Apocalypse.

Outside of a few minor freak-outs regarding bear canisters, pack weight, and back-country permits, we seem to be in good shape and good spirits with just a few days standing between us and the AT. We picked up a loaf of bread, some PB&J, beef jerky, a big turkey sausage and "Cabot's Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese", which should last us through our first week without going bad. Now our backpacks are at capacity, likely between 30 and 35 lbs, before filling our hydration bladders. Any more weight and I may just topple over backwards down the mountain...

It is difficult to wrap my head around the reality of what we are about to experience. I keep reminding myself to focus on one day at a time. Trying to imagine what 153 days and 2,176 miles will feel like is as hard for me to do as quantifying the number one trillion. While the highest point on the trail is Clingmans Dome at 6,643 ft, the elevation gain is roughly equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times. That is crazy!

Thanks a lot, Elsa....way to plunge Georgia into an eternal winter....

At any rate, we've been keeping an eye on the weather near Springer Mountain over the last few days. Turns out the snow is melting much slower than it does most years and there was more snowfall last week. Some of the hikers that are a few weeks ahead of us have been hit by some pretty rough weather and a few got stranded after a significant snowfall. Robb and I are hoping that our April 2nd start date will give us an advantage. If things look rough, we have about 3 weeks of flexibility in our hiking schedule and can take a few "Zero Days" (days where you don't hike) until conditions clear. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, right?

I plan to post one more time before we hit the trail and then I'll be updating the blog every 5 to 10 days when we stop in town or reach an area with internet access. I will be journaling and recording footage along the way so things should start to get pretty exciting. Check back in on Tuesday night for my final armchair post!